What kind of recipe would I use to dye Rabbit hides and deer tails? I make fishing lures with them and my wholsaler will no longer sell me full dyed rabbit skins. I have a small bottle of Procion mx dye150 jet black cold water dye for natural fibersAny advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much -Paul

For best results when dyeing animal fibers we recommend Acid dyes. Acid dyes are formulated to work especially with protein fibers.You'll find full instructions at the Acid dye page - you would use the instructions for dyeing wool.You can use Procion MX dyes withsome protein fibers and get good results using the same instructions for dyeing with Acid dyes. I would recommend testing first.Hope this helps.anet

Thank you Anet. I have found a shop here in Wi. that has the acid dye you recommended. Can I substitute vinegar instead of the recommended mild neutral soap that is also sold by Procion? Do these dyes fade if put in water regularly? Thanks again. -Paul jensenjigs.com Please take a look at my work, its pretty good. Is your work available to look at?

If you are asking about using vinegar as a pre and post wash vs. the Synthrapol, yes, you can. However, it won't work to cut the oils as well. If you aren't using Synthrapol a mild liquid detergent is a perfectly acceptable substitute for prewashing. The benefit of using Synthrapol in the post wash is its ability to isolate excess dye as you are washing post dyeing and therefore reduces the possibility for back-staining.If you are asking about using vinegar in the Acid dye bath - it is in fact the recommended choice.I spent some time at your website - makes me want to take up fishing! or at least collecting lures. I know there are other folks out in the world using our dyes on their feathers and fur for flys, but I don't think I've ever seen lures like yours.anet